Article contentDuring his speech, Tibbs — who said he has known many who’ve taken their own lives — specifically called for increased support for health-care professionals, first responders, and police, all of whom he said are struggling to do their best work due to a lack of resources.Article contentUrging his community to help those less fortunate and struggling, he opened up about his own mental health fight, expressing a desire to “kill the stigma.”Article content“If I don’t keep an eye on my mental health, I can spiral pretty fast,” he said. Article contentArticle content“But I had the resources and the support there to keep me where I am today. And I know what I need to do, I know what triggers me, and I know what can keep me in this job and help others. And that’s what I want to do.”Article contentPart of a broader missionArticle content Residents, spokespersons, and media gather outside Confederation Building to raise awareness of mental health and addiction issues in the province. ContributedArticle contentThe Call to Action is headed up by Guardians of Recovery, a Canada-wide non-profit dedicated to addiction recovery and mental health. It’s led in part by St. John’s resident Tina Olivero, who is glad to have seen multiple politicians, like Tibbs, show up for the Call to Action.Article contentHowever, she was disappointed Premier John Hogan didn’t attend the St. John’s rally. Requests were made by the organization to his office seven times, she says, and all were met with no response.Article contentOlivero lost her son Ben to a drug overdose in 2023, something she believes could’ve been prevented.Article content“I spent five years trying to save his life in every possible way, trying to work with the system, trying to get detox and rehab, trying to get sober communities,” she said. Article contentArticle content“There wasn’t help for Ben in the way that he needed it. Mental health diagnostics weren’t available. So he passed away in a system that basically enabled him to be in addiction without any routes to recovery.”Article contentSober Living Homes is one of Guardians’ projects, which takes a radical approach to recovery in housing addicts seeking to better themselves together. Based on the successful Oxford House program, it offers quality housing for up to two years for anyone that’s completed the detox and rehab process, so they don’t bounce back once they return to normal life.Article contentThe program has a zero-tolerance policy on drugs and alcohol — enforced and encouraged by regular check-ins, healthy diets, exercise, and more.Article contentThe first Sober Living Home in Newfoundland will open in Mount Pearl in September.Article contentOlivero says she would’ve gone into the “deep dark rabbit hole” herself if she couldn’t help others in a similar situation with initiatives like Call to Action and Sober Living Homes.Article content“A lot of people say, ‘How can you help people? It must be triggering,’” she said. “How could I not help people is the question, not how can I.”Article contentSean Ridgeley is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter.Article content
‘I’m the hopeless alcoholic and drug addict who did what they said I couldn’t’: Botwood Nan wants addicts to have hope
